Hot 97 Fires Cipha Sounds after 17 Years
The news of HOT 97 firing long time radio host and DJ Cipha Sounds are leaving some with a bad taste in their mouths.
The firing happened less then a day after he criticized HOT 97 management on his podcast show Juan Epstein.
Cipha Sounds, who had been with WQHT (97.1 FM) for 17 years, began hosting the 3-7 p.m. slot soon after Angie Martinez jumped to rival WWPR (105.1 FM) last summer.
The station announced last week it has hired Nessa Nitty of MTV as the permanent afternoon host, while Cipha would remain in other unspecified positions.
On Monday’s popular “Juan Epstein” podcast, talking with Hot-97 morning cohost Peter Rosenberg, Cipha said he was blindsided by his removal and wished he had been considered for the permanent position.
“Our corporate bosses don’t know me,” he said, adding that he didn’t know if he would remain with the station.
Early Tuesday afternoon, WQHT answered that question, issuing a blunt statement that said, “Effective immediately, Cipha Sounds is no longer with WQHT. We wish him well on his future endeavors.”
Cipha’s departure leaves evening host Funkmaster Flex as the primary link to the station’s groundbreaking past.
Peep the Juan Epstein podcast episode below that got Cipha Sounds fired.